The CIIC report found the Lake Erie
Correctional Institution had a 187.5-percent increase in
inmate-on-inmate violence between 2010 and 2012, leading to a rate of
inmate-on-inmate violence much higher than comparative prisons and
slightly below the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction
(ODRC) average for all state prisons.

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Rates of inmate-on-staff violence
increased by more than 300 percent between 2010 and 2012 and were much
higher than comparative prisons and the ODRC average, according to the
report.

Safety and security were major areas of
concern, with the report noting “personal safety is at risk.”
Disturbances, use of force, access to illegal substances, shakedowns and
bunk searches were all in need of improvement, but rounds were
acceptable. How staff handle the use of force and sanctions were
particularly problematic.

Many of the problems were due to
inadequate staff — a common concern critics repeatedly voiced after Gov.
John Kasich announced his plan to sell the state prison to CCA in 2011.

“New staff generally do not have the
experience or training to be able to make quick judgments regarding the
appropriate application of force or how to handle inmate
confrontations,” the report said.

The report echoes many of the concerns raised by private prison critics, which CityBeat previously covered (“Liberty for Sale,”issue of Sept. 19).